The Bike Ride!

Some of you might ask, what the heck does a bike ride have to do with my job search or career transition? My answer is absolutely EVERYTHING!

Here’s the story – I was riding my bike around the city that I live in here in San Diego, and because I live in the hills, what goes down, must come up. In other words, if you ride down the hill, you have to ride back up (this applies to our economy as well; what goes down, will go up – it’s basic physics).

I did this particular trip to help manage some of the anxiety I was beginning to experience, which in my perspective is just energy that needs to be channeled, which ALWAYS works.

I believe that anxiety or stress is just bottled energy that needs redirecting and one way to redirect this energy is to change your physiology, do something that channels the stress (energy). This will help you to regain control of your mental state. Many of you who exercise regularly already know this to be true. For those of who don’t– have you ever seen a depressed athlete???

Back to the story. I was riding up the hill(s) to get back home after a nice 15-mile ride and noticed that whenever I focused on how big the hill was, my stamina would be challenged, I would feel like I didn’t have enough energy. It didn’t take long to realize that if I looked to far into the future (getting up that big, long hill), I would overwhelm my brain.

When I only focused on the road below my front tire and nothing else, I had enough stamina to make it as far as I needed….

Hmmm – do you see why the bike ride is so applicable to our journey in life and in your job search or career transition?

I hope so.

Ron Nash
Founder
Dream Job University.com
“Changing The Paradigm for Job Seekers”

Which Box Are You In?

I just had the pleasure of delivering a tough love coaching session to someone who is in my Dream Job Online Coaching Program. The conversation was triggered by an event that occurred within the last 24 hours. Truth be told is that I had promised for a couple of months that I was going to make an introduction to a friend of mine who is a principal partner for a very busy architectural firm, but hadn’t done it. So in my recent conversation with him I took massive action and created an introductory email that included his resume.

Within 24 hours I had a response from my friend (hiring manager) stating, “While we are very busy, we are being very careful about hiring people at this time, however, I’m always interested in meeting very talented people.” Mind you, this is a multi-national architectural firm.

Now, I was absolutely delighted when I saw the email and expected a very enthusiastic phone call from my candidate. No – nada – nothing! I waited for a day before I made the call to ask if he had seen the email and he replied that he did. I naturally asked why he didn’t call me follow up on the opportunity. He then started to tell me his “STORY”, you know the thing that many of us do by default when we know that we are full of SHITE!

I listened, as I always do. Then I asked him a few questions, but the biggest question was, “Which Box Are You In?” He replied, “What do you mean?”

I told him a story about an amazing friend of mine named Kenrick Chatman, who has a website called The Career Catalyst.

Kenrick actually reaches out to top Authors, CEO’s, or anyone willing to share information that will benefit a job seeker in this economy. His show and blogs are AWESOME!

Kenrick was unemployed for almost one year before accepting an offer from a company recently. He created this show which allowed build relationships with anyone he targeted.

You see, Kenrick is a fearless person who will do anything that he can to position his brilliance as a savvy out-of-the-box solutions provider (which is what Corporate America resonates with – people who solve problems), which is why he is and will always be employed and employable.

I asked my candidate from Kenrick’s example, “Which Box Are You In?” I said, because Kenrick truly doesn’t even acknowledge that there is a box; but most of us live inside of the constraints of a box.

In fact, I challenged him to do the following:

1. Review and list everything you’ve done this month toward your job search
2. List how many networking, webinars, groups you’ve attended
3. Note whether any of the events gave you “Mission Critical Information”
Note – did you put the information to work or did you do like most people and listen with no action
(many people listen to great ideas and do nothing, they are all in the same box!!!)
4. List how many decision makers you were able to connect with as a result of this information
5. Be very honest with yourself – STOP the things that are not producing tangible results – they are just fillers. DO MORE of the things that produce results
6. Spend more time learning to be outside of your box, which is your comfort zone.

In other words stop doing what EVERYONE else is doing, especially if it’s not working. There are many support groups that exist where people are sharing stories of their struggles and other information, which can be useful, but I’m not a fan of “Pity Parties”, this is the time to be different in your approach.

I can tell more of this story, but the moral is very simple. If you are currently finding yourself in a place where you are not getting the results you need in your job search, ask yourself very honestly, “Which Box Am I In”.

Ron Nash
Master Dream Job Strategist
The Friend Zone.TV
“If you’re not a Friend, you’re just another job seeker!”

How to use Twitter to find your Dream Job

My natural question to you is what is a dream job?
In my book, “How to find your dream job, even in a recession” I outline a dream job as being similar to a square; I call it the Euclidean Career Square – Dream Job Formula

Here are 5 strategies on how I recommend using Twitter to find your Dream Job!

Step One:
Create a FREE account on Tweetmyjobs.com.
• Go to www.Tweetmyjobs.com and follow the 5 steps on the user interface; this will help you begin utilizing the power of twitter.

• Create a professional profile; HR Professionals are paying closer attention to job seekers social media appearances – this can work for you or against you; be smart about how you want to be perceived. Use this link www.twitterbacks.com for ideas on creating a professional-looking Twitter background, including side bar identification information. You may also want your online resume or blog to be listed as a link on your Twitter Profile.

Step Two:
Create a targeted search.

• Create a list of 50 target companies by using;

o Twitter search (search.twitter.com) facility to search for opportunities all over twitter – type in the key words (for example ‘cardinal health’) and you will be able to see who what opening positions cardinal has.

o Twitter search (search.twitter.com) to search specific job opportunities, i.e. Marketing Vacancy

The great thing about Twitter is that you can you can subscribe to receive updates so you can get updates of people talking about opportunities; this can help you create new relationships with people in your industry.

Here are some additional tools for job searches on twitter:
TwitterJobSearch.com

TwitterJobSearch.com is a job search engine that searches Twitter for jobs that match the keywords that you enter.

JobShouts
JobShouts.com is a free resource for both employers and job seekers. Employers can post their jobs for free; those jobs are then automatically “tweeted” to users on Twitter.

JobAngels
JobAngels.org started with the objective of asking those who could to help one person find a job.

Many other companies have a corporate presence on Twitter. Search by the company name to find them.

Twitter Name Search

Twellow Twitter Yellow Pages

Step Three:
Use my Linkedin Strategy at this point!!!
I recommend that you to listen to my previous two highly acclaimed episodes “How to Use LinkedIn like a Headhunter I & II. Go to www.Blogtalkradio.com/thecareercatalyst.com. This is a crucial piece of my Twitter Dream Job strategy!

Most importantly, use these strategies in tandem – do one with the other in both directions. i.e. Find companies on Twitter and search Linkedin, visa, versa. This will help you to find profiles of people inside of companies that you can develop rapport and deeper relationships with.

Step Four:
Go to www.TheFriendZoneTV.com

• Go to the menu bar and click on Twitter Tab

• Follow me on Twitter (Career Zone)

Step Five:
Nurture your network by sharing knowledge and resources
Again, don’t be a taker, be a giver! Twitter provides an amazing opportunity to show that you have expert knowledge and skills make sure there is a balance between what you Tweet and providing tips or resources sharing your professional knowledge. Use this opportunity to participate in strategic Twitter conversations and rapport! You only have 140 characters to achieve this with; be very concise. Consider using a Tiny URL to direct individuals to longer posts – www.TinyUrl.com.

Ron Nash
Master Career Strategist
http://www.TheFriendZoneTv.com
“If you’re not a Friend, you’re just another job seeker”

Fear of the 400 Pound Phone and your Job Search!

Ok – As many of you know, this is a very challenging economy and as I’ve stated a number of times, this time your job search requires thinking “out of the box”. But what does that mean? For MANY of you, your job search consists of going to Monster.com, Careerbuilder.com, or a company’s website to apply. And after a certain amount of time with little or no result, you become frustrated. You then say that “there are no jobs out there”. And like ever other “in the box” job seeker does – you give up….At this point, settling for anything becomes your default; because you never did the work.

The interesting thing about your job search is that you are closer to having results than you may think, you just need a 2 millimeter shift in how you think. What I mean is that instead of just looking on Monster and Career Builder, you can use other resources such as Linkedin.com – check out my blog on Social Networks as well as the menu bar on my website under “Career Resources”.
You see, the biggest challenge that most job seekers have is what I want to call “Fear of the 400 Pound Phone” (I’ll credit Matt Bud for that term). Yes, phone call reluctance is the NUMBER ONE KILLER of job seekers.

I’ve spent the last 15 years of my life on the phone as a professional Headhunter. I’ve seen many people come and go in my profession. The one’s who made it are the one’s who didn’t mind dialing (don’t get me wrong – you have to have some other skills to be successful in headhunter) and doing the heavy lifting!
Many job seekers are afraid of picking up the phone and doing the heavy lifting or making the phone calls.

5 Top Reasons for Phone-a-phobia:
1. Fear of not knowing what to say; and that you’ll embarrass yourself.
2. Fear of Rejection, that someone will not be interested.
3. Fear of talking to someone you don’t know; many people don’t know how to build rapport with strangers.
4. Fear that will blow a potential lead and can never go back!
5. Fear that you won’t be successful in your attempt to network or find a job.

Ok – there are probably more that I can mention, but the truth is that these are all things that can be overcome quite easily. How????? Yes, that’s the question of the day. By doing one simple thing. PREPARING!
As a headhunter, one of the things that has led to my continued success is preparing for the task at hand.

5 Cures for Phone-a-phobia:
1. Prepare a list of potential clients (50 companies)
2. Have a list of prepared questions.
3. Have your 15 second elevator pitch ready.
4. Have your resume ready (professionally written or critiqued is a must).
5. Have a phone script ready. (I provide one in my FREE book!)
6. Have a regiment that you stick to – this requires discipline and accountability!

Just like a golf swing, the more you do it the better you get. Maybe a better analogy is walking – when you were a baby, you didn’t know how to walk, but you kept trying – look at you know!

I recommend that you listen to my “How to use Linkedin like a Headhunter” audio FREE @ http://www.blogtalkradio.com/thecareercatalyst. You can also download my book for FREE for a limited time. My site has a ton of valuable information that you can use.

The winds of life are always blowing, it is you who must raise the sails!

Ron Nash
Master Career Strategist
http://www.TheFriendZone.Tv
“If you’re not a Friend, You’re just another job seeker

Action creats Motion and Motion creates Results!

Ok – some of you are saying this Ron Nash guy always writes very philosophical blogs. Well, you’re right, I’m a philosopher – philos means Love and sophia means wisdom. Get it – philos sophia – philosophy….Love of Wisdom. Which brings me to my story. I had a wonderful conversation with an outstanding friend of mine whom I’ve known for almost 15 years. She told me about how she was laid off 3 months ago and how no one was responding to her resume through Monster, Career Builder and by directly applying to companies through their websites.

In fact, she told me that one position she applied to online had over 435 applicants! There is little chance of being seen in that type of cattle call. The cool thing about what we discussed was her ability to think ‘out of the box’. She told me that she finally got tired of having NO RESULTS and decided to learn to use Linkedin. After her crash course she performed searches for anyone that she had worked with in the past who might lead her to another connection.

She finally found a person she worked for in the past but had not way of contacting here, because the Linkedin profile was not updated (always keep your profile updated, you never know how it will help!). However, Linkedin provided enough information for her to dig a little deeper and track this person down at another company. She used some of the same strategies that I talk about on my FREE audio, “How to use Linkedin like a Headhunter“. My friend was able to make a connection which led to two interviews almost immediately by working her “FRIEND NETWORK”.

Because her friend recommended her, things are moving FAST! She immediately was able to create an with the CEO and VP of HR, that’s a story worth telling. I only tell this story to illustrate the idea that you MUST have ACTION which creates MOTION and the natural by product is RESULTS! If you follow the steps in my Linkedin strategy, you WILL produce results – it’s that simple.

I encourage you to think outside of YOUR box and to try things you haven’t tried before. There is an old friend or new friend out there waiting to help you find your dream job.

Remember my mantra – “If you’re not a friend, you’re just another job seeker!”

Ron Nash
Master Career Strategist
Author of “How to Find Your Dream Job, Even in a Recession”
http://www.TheFriendZone.Tv

The Word FREE and the Many Meanings!

In this time of economic re-arrangement, there are a number of people being affected from home owners to job seekers. There are also a ton of people preying on the victims of this economy to make a profit. There was a company out of Los Angeles called Montgomery Capital who took a cool 10k from me in my mortgage ordeal, with no service and ultimately no real benefit to me, other than the lesson I learned, which was a God send. However, I got passed it and have been able to maintain my integrity and keep my family out of harms way, which is what we all want to do ultimately.

I’ve seen a ton of FREE offers and have noticed that many of the FREE offers have a catch to them, which ultimately lead to people paying lots of money for services or products that may or may not have value. But how does one decide where to spend one’s money? That’s not an easy question.

I’ve possed a few questions that may be useful in your decision making that may help.

1. Is there is a trial for the product or service with a money back guarantee?
2. How long is the FREE trial?
3. Is the trial long enough to make a decision on the product or service?
4. Are there any cancellation fees tha occur upon discontinuing the FREE trial?
5. Are there any credible references or testimonials that you can see or verify?
6. Do you know anyone who has had luck with the product or service?
7. How long has the product or service been around?
8. How much money does the product or service really cost, i.e. are there any other hidden fees?
9. Are there any guarantees beyond the legal 30 day guarantee?
10. Is this product or service something that you can’t find on your own?

Keep in mind that this is America and we are based in a capitalistic philosophy, so there is nothing wrong with charging for a product or service – the biggest challenge we face in America and on especially on the internet is that we don’t know who we are doing business with. There are so many offers and people marketing to us, until we don’t know who’s being genuine as opposed to who’s trying to get our money.

The truth is that the internet is filled with lots of free things that are truly, “Free”. You just have to do the work and dig a little, there are a ton of things that can help you in your job search, Google and some of the other browsers have made it easier to gather information than at any other time in history. The other challenge is that there is too much information coming at you…

Here is a goldeng nugget I’ve discovered!

There is another site I’d like to share with you that was designed by a job seeker for the sake of providing tools and resources to other job seekers – he makes no money from this and collects no advertising dollars – he is doing this to help himself and others! That’s what I call giving back. The site is http://www.Jobradiousa.com. His name is Kenrick Chatman and his show is called the Career Catalyst. He interviews a ton of guests who are experts in their fields (me being one of them). These are usually people who are published and have a track record with measurable credibility and results. I encourage you to have a look at the site and links he recommends – they are purely designed to be FREE resource for anyone who is conducting a career search.

Ron Nash

Master Career Strategist/Author “How to Find Your Dream Job, Even in a Recession”
http://www.TheFriendzonetv.com
“If you’re not a Friend, You’re just another Job Seeker”

What is a Dream Job?

You might think that finding a dream job is pie in the sky, especially in the current economy…. But let me ask you this,

* Do you know what a dream job is?

Does the term Dream Job translate to something out of reach and unattainable to you? Why? Have you ever sat down and really defined Dream Job in your own terms?

In my book, “How to Find Your Dream Job, Even in a Recession”, I outline a formula which I call the Euclidean Career Square. This career square is a practical outline that is designed to take the mystery out of The Dream Job. Using the analogy of a square here is my formula:

Euclidean Career Square – Dream Job Formula

1. At the top of the square is the People side. Often, you spend more time working then you spend with family. Consequently, it is important that you not only like but love the people with whom you work.
2. The bottom side represents Money; You MUST make enough money to sustain yourself, or you will eventually leave, even if you love the people.
3. The right side represents Growth; one of the six basic human needs. If there is no opportunity for healthy growth, the roots of a plant will become tangled and kill the plant.
4. The left side represents Work/Life Balance; If you love the people, money and have growth but no balance, you WILL experience discomfort in some part of your life, i.e. health, relationship, happiness, etc.

Dream jobs are achievable. The problem is most people spend more time thinking about what they hate about their jobs, versus, what they love. If you use the Dream Job Formula as a basis for establishing what you want, you’ll not only know what your Dream Job is, you will find it!

Ron Nash
Master Career Strategist
http://www.TheFriendZone.Tv

Secrets of Successful People – Tip #20

Secrets of successful people – tip #20; “Where you stand depends on where you look!” Even in the setbacks there are opportunities waiting to be discovered; you will see them or miss them, based on where you stand. Sometimes there are setbacks in life that we don’t expect, things like being laid off, losing your home, death, etc. While these are emotionally painful to process in the moments, there is a reason for all things! If the planets are in perfect balance and synchronization without fail on a regular basis, for millions of years, maybe there is a reason for the things that orbit our life’s experience? Just something to think about.

How we see things affect how we experience this journey called life. Therefore, during this down time, are you seeing the opportunities that are in front of you, or are you stuck on the problems that have already occurred and passed? It’s your choice! You are more powerful than you think.

Ron Nash
Master Career Strategist
The Friend Zone.Tv
Author, “How to Find Your Dream Job, Even in a Recession”

The Two Wolves

The Two Wolves

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.
He said, ‘My son, the battle is between two ‘wolves’ inside us all.

One is Evil.
It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment,

inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is Good.
It is joy, peace , love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence,
empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith.

The grandson thought about it for a minute

And then asked his grandfather: ‘Which wolf wins?’

The old Cherokee simply replied,

‘The one you feed .’

I am obviously not the originator of this story, but I absolutely love it! I’d like to share it with you occasionally to remind you of the internal struggle we must ALL address. As the economy goes down further and the doom and gloom continues to be spread through the media, which wolf are you feeding?

It’s your choice – I’d like to remind you of a quote from Albert Einstein, “There are two ways to live our lives; one way is as though nothing is a miracle;The other is as though everything is a miracle.”

Amidst the tides and seasons of change, don’t forget who you are deep inside!

Ron Nash
Master Career Strategist
http://www.TheFriendZone.Tv

FHA/VA may be a way to refi if you’re close to danger with mortgages at this time –